My little guy turned one last week and so we’re back after a long weekend of action-packed 1st birthday festivities! One thing for sure, this kid loves food, he eats anything I put in front of him. Yesterday he tried out tomatoes, cucumbers and kiwi, smacking after every bite he popped in his mouth.

His birthday breakfast was a huge blueberry muffin, which was shoved almost entirely whole into his mouth. Hope you enjoy as much as he did!

Recipe:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup canola oil

1 egg

1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

In a large bowl combine all flour, baking powder, salt and sugar then make a well in the center of the mixture.

In a small bowl combine buttermilk, egg and oil. Pour mixture into the well and then gently fold wet and dry ingredients together until just blended. Do not overstir or muffins will be dense.

Gently fold in blueberries. Then drop batter into muffin cups filled 2/3 full. I like to sprinkle about a half teaspoon of raw sugar on top of each muffin before baking for a crunchy, sweet crust on top.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Makes about 15 muffins.

Notes:

These muffins freeze really well. Just double the recipe and store half in the freezer for later.

I like to use the foil muffin cups that don’t require using a muffin pan so there’s no mess to clean-up.

I was in junior high the first time I had Quiche, My friend and I had her mother drop us off at this little tea room for lunch. We thought we were so grown-up and sophisticated sitting there sipping on tea and looking over the menu.

So the waitress came over and asked if we were ready to order and my friend proclaimed, in a very ladylike voice, “I’ll have the quickie of the day”. The kind waitress said of course, “the Quiche is excellent today”.  Still trying to be very grown-up and sophisticated, we finished our lunch and I never forgot how to pronounce Quiche!

Recipe:

2 1/2 cups shredded potatoes, Simply Potatoes hash browns

4 oz can diced green chilis, drained

1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded

1 cup lean ham, diced

3/4 cup milk

3 eggs

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp salt

pepper to taste

oil spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray a 9 inch pie plate with oil spray. Spread out potatoes over the bottom of the pie plate, mashing down lightly and spray top of potatoes generously with oil spray. Bake for 30 minutes until the edges start to brown.

Remove potato crust from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. In the meantime, combine ham, cheese and green chilis.

In a small bowl whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Spoon ham mixture on the potato crust and then pour egg mixture over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until knife comes out clean from the center of the Quiche. Let sit a few minutes before serving.

Notes:

This is a great dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Just pair it with fresh fruit for breakfast or a salad for lunch or dinner.

I used skim milk and usually use skim whenever possible when a recipe calls for milk.

This pancake recipe is an old one my mom found in her recipe notebook. She said it had been given to her by their ‘gourmet group’ years ago. My mom and dad have been meeting with their “gourmet group’ for over 30 years, planning menus, having dinner and taking trips together. The collected stories and recipes from these folks could write a book.

When I was around 5, my mom was hosting gourmet and had slaved away all day on a perfect beef tenderloin. She had the beautiful platter all set out on the dining room table and my beloved poodle, Fitz, jumped upon the table and helped himself to the platter of meat before anyone could dig in. She was furious but to this day Fitz and the tenderloin is a much laughed about story.

Recipe:

2 cups low-fat cottage cheese

2 eggs

3/4 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour or a combination

pinch of salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Combine first six ingredients mixing well. Fold in blueberries.

Heat griddle or large pan over medium-high heat. Spray generously with oil spray and melt 1 tsp butter. Drop spoonfuls of batter and spread out a little. The batter is very thick so these take a little longer to cook than a regular pancake. Usually about 5-6 minutes per side.

Notes:

These pancakes a full of protein and only have a small amount of flour making them a great low carb breakfast.

I usually substitute all whole wheat flour in the recipe but if you don’t like whole wheat flour or aren’t familiar with it just use half regular flour and half whole wheat .

Somewhere in the South a brilliant lady came up with the term ‘Girls raised in the South – GRITS. Grits are raised with a little bit of a heavier burden carrying on the traditions of their southern roots. One of the most important is being a good southern mama. I never quite fully understood the role of a good southern mama until my son was born and boy do I have some big shoes to fill!

My son is 11 months old and exploring new foods everyday. He is very independent, insistent on feeding himself at every meal. This week we have tried scrambled eggs, grown up oatmeal and of course, grits. I was nervous as I lifted the big spoonful of grits to his mouth but he ate them and then smiled wanting more. I breathed a sigh of relief and thought to myself – son of a grits!

Recipe:

Grits, quick cooking – follow directions for 6 servings

3 slices bacon

2 cups spinach, rough chopped – about 2 large handfuls

1/2 cup low-fat or 2% cheddar cheese

2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 tsp garlic powder

cayenne pepper to taste

salt and pepper to taste

4 eggs

Cook grits according to package directions for 6 servings.

Cook 3 slices of bacon in a large pan, let drain on a paper towel and then wipe excess fat out of pan leaving just a light coating.

Heat pan to medium heat, toss in spinach, season with salt and pepper and cook for about a minute. Add grits to spinach, then stir in cheeses, garlic powder, cayenne and re-season with salt and pepper if needed. Let cheeses melt, then stir in crumbled bacon. Turn to a low heat to keep warm.

Fry four eggs to desired doneness. I like mine to be slightly runny. Grits should have a creamy consistency – add a little milk if they have gotten a little sticky.

Serve a fried egg on top of grits and top off with a dash of hot sauce.

Notes:

This is really quick and easy breakfast, lunch or dinner. If you have leftover grits just reheat and add a little milk to get back the creamy consistency.

I prefer Frank’s Red Hot sauce. I add it to a lot of my recipes.

My Grandaddy called me short stack. He was not so tall himself but he was the friendliest person you would ever meet. He was larger than life and never met a stranger. I think he prided himself on being a good teacher of life, you know street smart skills. He taught us all to play golf, taught my mother how to burn rubber in all 4 gears when she started driving and showed me how to make pancakes.

On Sunday mornings at Nana and Grandaddy’s they would have the coffee brewing, the intercom radio playing through the house and Grandaddy would have his griddle ready to go. He would pour the batter on the griddle as I stood and watched him explain that the pancakes had to bubble perfectly before you could flip them.

So to this day I credit him on my love of making pancakes on the weekends, how to golf and how to be a good friend!

Recipe:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

1 egg

2 cups low fat buttermilk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Mix together all dry ingredients. Then add egg, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir well and then fold in blueberries.

Heat a large skillet or griddle to medium heat. Coat with canola oil spray. Pour 1/4cup of batter onto griddle for each pancake.

When bubbles appear around the egdes and middle its time to flip. Cook about a minute or two per side or until golden brown.

Makes 12 4″-5″ pankcakes.

My pancake taste tester gave his stamp of approval for this recipe!